Not sure what to do

[Elasticatedwaist]

Any advice really really appreciated.

I’ve always suffered from terrible pms and have had a tendency towards anxiety ( take a very low dose of citalopram) but towards the end of 2019 the pms got much worse. I also had a few months of irregular periods and a few night sweats.

The night sweats stopped, the periods went back to being regular albeit a few days closer together. But the worsened pms continued. It now includes insomnia and terrible anxiety, sometimes I’m convinced my dh doesn’t love me, I think It’s making me paranoid.

Then my hair and skin went to hell in a handcart. I’ve developed wrinkles, quite a lot of them in 12 months. Always looked much younger than my age until now.

I am anxious every morning now, I wake up early feeling bad but it gets much worse, unbearable around periods.
I also have a dry burning mouth which gets much worse ,extreme tiredness and headaches.

I’ve had various blood tests. The g.p has tested fsh twice and I’ve done a home test, all normal. My periods are regular and I’m not having sweats, so the gp thinks it’s all anxiety / depression and of
Course it could be, but somehow I just feel different and feel that it’s peri.

I don’t feel like me any day of the week anymore and I dread periods because I keep falling out with people badly 😟
Also I could predict that the pms would start a week before and ends a few days into period starting but now it lasts much
Longer, until about 4 days after my period has ended.
I can’t carry on feeling like

Should have said that I’m 46.

And also I’m getting really bad aching legs and hips during periods and my boobs have grown ! Sorry to keep adding more !

HRT!!!

I just started this month on oestrogel and utrogestan - amazing!!!!

I still have regular cycles (48)

Ps you don’t need bloods done if over 45 to diagnose peri or go on HRT. Sounds like you need a more clued up GP (about peri)

Here are the guidelines www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng23/chapter/recommendations

You are in peri-menopause and blood tests are useless and not used to diagnose it. It is diagnosed based on symptoms, and you have nearly got them all, especially the increased anxiety which can be horrendous. AD's are not recommended for women in peri/menopause as it can make things worse. Sadly, you gp like so many others is completely ignorant about peri and is not helping you. I highly recommend HRT because it's a lifesaver, so either go back to your gp armed with the proper NICE guidelines regarding peri and denand treatment, or go private, which I did and was worth every penny. There is no reason you have to be suffering like this.

Good grief, apologies for the typos.

Thank you for the replies. One doctor ( not my usual) that I spoke to right at the beginning told me that hrt wouldn’t be given if my periods were still normal as that meant I was still ovulating normally.

I tried taking B vitamins at first and weirdly they seemed to make me so much worse, I had incredibly painful boobs which resolved once i stopped, same thing happened on evening primrose.

I seem to react the opposite way to things which makes me a bit scared to try hrt but if I can get it I’ll try it because doing nothing is no longer an option.
I wish there was a definitive blood test !

Thank you for the replies. One doctor ( not my usual) that I spoke to right at the beginning told me that hrt wouldn’t be given if my periods were still normal as that meant I was still ovulating normally.

This is completely wrong. As usual, this gp has no clue what they are talking about. HRT is definitely still prescribed while a woman still has periods.

Also , has anyone suffered constant nausea. I had this everyday for 4 months and then it suddenly went. I thought it was long Covid. Maybe peri ?

womens health care in the uk is shameful.

@Elasticatedwaist yeah I feel nauseous sometimes in peri

Honestly - this is my 4th week on a low dose of HRT and I feel a zillion times better already !

Glad it’s working for you endo 🙂
I’ve never felt old or worried about how I look or questioned whether my dh still fancies
Me . All of a sudden I’ve lost all confidence and I see my mother in the mirror . Very unnerving.

Reading what you’ve written, I’d say to try HRT.

HRT is definitely still prescribed while a woman still has periods.

To be fair what she said was it wasn’t prescribed when periods were normal.

This could be peri, or it could be depression/anxiety, the symptoms fit both, so no one should be diagnosing the op on line.

As much as no one should be prescribing anti depressents for peri, no one should be prescribing hrt for depression and anxiety.

Op go private for another opinion, can you afford that? Ignore the randoms diagnosing you.

@Elasticatedwaist

Glad it’s working for you endo 🙂 I’ve never felt old or worried about how I look or questioned whether my dh still fancies Me . All of a sudden I’ve lost all confidence and I see my mother in the mirror . Very unnerving.

Totally get you !!!

Top up those oestrogen levels ! You’ll feel so much more yourself very quickly !

@Bluntness100

HRT is definitely still prescribed while a woman still has periods.

To be fair what she said was it wasn’t prescribed when periods were normal.

This could be peri, or it could be depression/anxiety, the symptoms fit both, so no one should be diagnosing the op on line.

As much as no one should be prescribing anti depressents for peri, no one should be prescribing hrt for depression and anxiety.

Op go private for another opinion, can you afford that? Ignore the randoms diagnosing you.

@Bluntness100 The guidance from Nice is that women are to use HRT as the first line treatment for depression and anxiety that could be linked to hormonal changes.

No one is 'diagnosing' but they are telling her what her GP is doing that is wrong.

Here it is- and you can read it in the full version of Nice, top of this forum here.

Psychological symptoms
1.4.5Consider HRT to alleviate low mood that arises as a result of the menopause.

1.4.6Consider CBT to alleviate low mood or anxiety that arise as a result of the menopause.

1.4.7Ensure that menopausal women and healthcare professionals involved in their care understand that there is no clear evidence for SSRIs or SNRIs to ease low mood in menopausal women who have not been diagnosed with depression (see the NICE guideline on depression in adults)

@Bluntness100 maybe read up on peri meno? There are many signs and she has many, not just mood changes. maybe you didn't have them or are too young to be at this stage yet?